Joey Klecka
Digital Reporter/Producer
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Joey is a longtime Alaskan with childhood roots in Eagle River. Having grown up exploring the vast wilderness of Alaska, he has a strong grasp of what makes the state unique.
Joey graduated with a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and spent eight years covering the sports scene on the Kenai Peninsula.
At Alaska's News Source, Joey worked as producer of the Morning Edition, before taking up a role as digital reporter.
Education
Awards
Updated: Jan. 31, 2023 at 8:15 PM AKST
|By Joey Klecka, Elena Symmes and Georgina Fernandez
The Environmental Protection Agency issued its final determination under the Clean Water Act. It’s a victory for conservation groups and a blow to advocacy groups for Pebble Mine, the proposed project in Southwest Alaska.
Updated: Jan. 26, 2023 at 7:50 AM AKST
|By The Associated Press, Joey Klecka and Lex Yelverton
The new rule will take effect once it is published in the Federal Register, which is expected to happen Friday, said agency spokesperson Larry Moore.
Updated: Jan. 18, 2023 at 6:10 PM AKST
|By Tim Rockey, Joey Klecka and Lauren Maxwell
A polar bear attacked and killed a St. Michael mother and her young son Tuesday in Wales, according to troopers, on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula.
Updated: Jan. 17, 2023 at 6:27 PM AKST
|By Joey Klecka and Carly Schreck
While it’s yet unknown when the avalanche itself came down, Hopp said the train hit the snow field around 2 a.m. derailing the first two locomotive cars and partially derailing a third along the 3,144-foot train.
Updated: Jan. 6, 2023 at 8:09 PM AKST
|By Joey Klecka
The governor’s decision follows the banning of the popular social media app, which allows users to upload short edited videos, on a federal level.
Updated: Nov. 4, 2022 at 11:26 AM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka, Maria Downey and Georgina Fernandez
Sheffield, a Democrat, served as governor from 1982 to 1986, when Alaska’s economy was booming from the explosion of oil field development on the North Slope.
Updated: Oct. 14, 2022 at 12:37 PM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka and Tim Rockey
Stevens was the son of Alaska’s longtime late Sen. Ted Stevens, who died in a plane crash in Aug. 2010.
Updated: Oct. 12, 2022 at 12:17 PM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka and Georgina Fernandez
The Fish and Game department said the 2022-23 red king crab season in Bristol Bay was closed due to counts that are below what the department deems sustainable levels, as was the snow crab season in the Bering Sea.
Governor stresses need to rebuild Western Alaska communities affected by storm before winter arrives
Updated: Sep. 23, 2022 at 8:33 AM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
The governor said that necessities are being taken care of, but stressed that what his administration is focusing on currently is rebuilding roads and bridges before the winter freeze sets in.
Updated: Sep. 8, 2022 at 6:41 AM AKDT
|By Kristen Durand and Joey Klecka
The four-time Iditarod champion was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2001 but overcame the illness after undergoing both surgery and radiation therapy. He then announced his second bout with cancer in August 2021.
Updated: Sep. 7, 2022 at 1:44 PM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
The EPA concluded prior to the public comment period opening that development of such a mine would have adverse effects on the environment and salmon watershed.
Updated: Aug. 29, 2022 at 8:22 AM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
Anchorage police say the man, identified as 36-year-old Michael Valu, used a child as a human shield before an officer shot him.
Updated: Aug. 22, 2022 at 7:15 AM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
Court documents show the victim of a homicide investigation in a Taku neighborhood as Dean Westlake, a former state legislator who resigned from office in 2017 amid sexual harassment allegations.
Updated: Aug. 18, 2022 at 10:30 AM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
Bradley Renfro joins fellow convicted murderers Austin Barrett, Dominic Johnson and Erick Almandinger as the four teens accused of assaulting David Grunwald in Nov. 2016.
Updated: Aug. 1, 2022 at 1:28 PM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
The Boeing 747 cargo plane was being moved by ground handlers from Pegasus Aviation Services just before 9:30 a.m. when it broke loose and began rolling away on its own, according to airport police.
Updated: Jul. 26, 2022 at 4:40 PM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka and Paul Choate
Six passengers and the pilot were aboard the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver when it crashed on takeoff from Lake Hood, one of the world’s busiest seaplane bases, at about 9:18 a.m.
Updated: Jul. 15, 2022 at 6:12 AM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
Troopers said the National Guard Black Hawk helicopter found the wreckage of Andy Andersen’s plane around 2:15 p.m. about 1,000 feet from the Richardson Highway at the top of Thompson Pass.
Updated: Jul. 13, 2022 at 12:23 PM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
The camp, situated approximately 17 miles northwest of the communities of Newhalen and Iliamna, is considered a near-total loss, with just a handful of metal drill casings surviving the blaze.
Updated: Jul. 9, 2022 at 7:12 PM AKDT
|By Connor Matteson and Joey Klecka
Former President Donald Trump has taken the podium as he addresses the crowd at the Save America Rally at the Alaska Airlines Center.
Updated: May. 25, 2022 at 12:35 PM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
Alaska Airlines pilots voted with a “99 percent” approval rate to authorize a strike, although it would likely take at least a month before that happens.
Gov. Dunleavy chooses former Department of Corrections commissioner as running mate in 2022 election
Updated: May. 23, 2022 at 1:41 PM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy officially announced his run for a second term Monday and with it, announced who will be his running mate this fall.
Updated: Apr. 25, 2022 at 2:05 PM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
Alaska Airlines said in an email that nonstop service between Anchorage and the Honolulu airport on the island of Oahu will return in November, “along with our Maui and Kona nonstop service.”
Updated: Apr. 1, 2022 at 6:29 PM AKDT
|By Rebecca Palsha and Joey Klecka
Just one day ahead of what is expected to be a massive memorial service at Anchorage Baptist Temple to honor the late U.S. Rep. Don Young, dozens of people filed for office to fill his seat.
Updated: Mar. 25, 2022 at 4:17 PM AKDT
|By Megan Pacer, Joey Klecka and Jordan Gartner
Police arrested two men after finding a body hidden in a northeast Anchorage home over the weekend.
Updated: Mar. 15, 2022 at 9:19 AM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka and Jordan Rodenberger
Brent Sass claims victory in 2022 Iditarod, beating defending champion Dallas Seavey Tuesday morning in Nome.
Updated: Mar. 11, 2022 at 7:26 PM AKST
|By Sean Maguire and Joey Klecka
Gov. Mike Dunleavy is proposing a temporary suspension of Alaska’s 8 cents per gallon motor fuel tax until June 2023, according to a letter he sent to the state Alaska House of Representatives on Friday.
Updated: Mar. 2, 2022 at 1:11 PM AKST
|By Joey Klecka and Kortnie Horazdovsky
Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King will take over for musher Nicolas Petit, who posted on his Facebook page that he will be dropping out of the race due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Updated: Feb. 22, 2022 at 2:18 PM AKST
|By Joey Klecka
A former substitute teacher in Kivalina was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 10 more years of supervised release for soliciting nude photos and sex from young girls at the school where he worked.
Updated: Feb. 18, 2022 at 12:15 PM AKST
|By Joey Klecka
Several avalanche slides are being reported around Southcentral as warm and wet weather continue to plague the Anchorage area.
Updated: Feb. 8, 2022 at 11:38 AM AKST
|By Joey Klecka
Rosie Brennan of Anchorage finished fourth Tuesday in the women’s individual sprint in cross-country skiing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, less than two seconds off the podium.
Updated: Jan. 20, 2022 at 1:53 PM AKST
|By Joey Klecka
An Idaho man is facing murder charges after Anchorage police linked him to a 1985 death using DNA testing.
Updated: Jan. 19, 2022 at 4:37 PM AKST
|By Joey Klecka and Megan Pacer
The state is still trending at near-record numbers when it comes to daily COVID-19 cases, according to the latest release by the state health department, with a five-day combined total of more 10,000 additional COVID-19 infections.
Updated: Jan. 18, 2022 at 2:26 PM AKST
|By Joey Klecka
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Alaska, announced the sentencing of four Anchorage residents for their involvement in defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of almost $350,000 through a snow removal service, capping a six-year investigation.
Updated: Jan. 3, 2022 at 6:04 PM AKST
|By Joey Klecka and Megan Pacer
Matanuska-Susitna Borough officials declared an emergency disaster declaration Monday after high winds ripped through Southcentral Alaska over the New Year’s weekend and continued into the work week.
Updated: Dec. 28, 2021 at 7:11 PM AKST
|By Sean Maguire and Joey Klecka
Former President Donald Trump officially announced his support for Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy Tuesday with one condition.
Updated: Nov. 22, 2021 at 2:15 PM AKST
|By Joey Klecka
A Fairbanks man has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for collaborating in a murder-for-hire plot against a former girlfriend.
Updated: Oct. 22, 2021 at 12:41 PM AKDT
|By Joey Klecka
Five passengers and one pilot survived a Friday morning plane crash near Juneau, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
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